Redemption
by taydo-the-potato
Summary: He was never the same after her. Now, he doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself. She was never the same after him. She changed for the better, and instead of closing herself off, she found love. After four years of distance, they finally come back together, but not in the way he expected. She wants closure. He wants her back. Who gets what they want?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** YOOOO! Guess who came out with a new story? Hint: it was me. But first, a wee bit of story time: For all my people that read **Heaven or Las Vegas** (go read that, btw if you haven't...) and I put at the end that I had a new story and it wasn't going to be like **Chicago Hope**? Okay, I lied. It's pretty much CH, but idk, this chapter is a little angsty. For those who don't know: back in the day, when **Not Just Friends** was a new story, I decided to write a story that's basically this. Buuuuut, eventually I wanted to focus on my energy on NJF, so I deleted CH, and pretty much the rest is history: **Not Just Friends** turned into the story that launched my fanfic writing career, and **Chicago Hope**turned into the Story That Could Have Been. But now, I've sorta planned it out, and I think this will be here for good. If not, well... maybe I should give up writing this lol. Hopefully, people will like this and now I'm going to work on the others that need my attention. _

_Don't forget to Read&Review!_

* * *

Chapter One

_Goddamn._

Strippers were unappreciated. First of all, it took a lot of skills to do all the flips they do on a metal pole and still look sexy while doing it. And most of them were paying for college or whatever so it wasn't like they were planning on being strippers as if it was their life's goals.

Yeah, Riley appreciated them very much.

Lexi wasn't a stripper though. She did, however, acted like one. Her favorite thing to do was shake her ass, which is, incidentally, what Riley loved to watch girls do. And she shook it for whoever, whenever. Usually the whoever was Riley, but there were others. There were always others with Lexi.

He couldn't blame Lexi because technically they weren't exclusive. No girl he was with ever got the title. Not since her.

"You likely?" Lexi purred as she moved her hips in a circle. Riley nodded dumbly, keeping his eyes fixated on her lower half. Lexi either had to be an angel or the devil in disguise. Whichever one she is, he loved it.

She smirked and jumped into his lap. Oh my God, she was the devil. Definitely the devil. Riley exhaled sharply and sunk deeper into his seat as she started to grind on him. "Damn." was all he could mutter out.

"Papi, I'm gonna give it to you… Just the way you like it," she whispered into his ear, making him shiver with anticipation. She bit her tongue as she stripped him of his shirt. "Yeah, Reezy. I want you right here, right now."

Right now?" he questioned. He looked around his surroundings. He was in the living room, and although he would prefer to be in his own room giving her the business, he wasn't going to deny her request for sex.

That definitely wasn't part of the game.

She took off on top and smirked and Riley. Every time he saw her, she never ceased to amaze to him. He brought her closer to his body and kissed her all around her face and neck.

He wondered how long can go on with this. He was going out every night, sleeping with any thottie with a body, and going through the whole process again. Drink, fuck, repeat. Drink, fuck, repeat. It was an endless cycle that defined him the most.

Was Lexi really different? Sure, they've messed around longer than any of the others, and her head was definitely top five. But she was the same: a ho, a slut, a freak. She was the girl, but she wasn't _the_ girl. Lexi wasn't wifey material, and he sure as hell wasn't hubby material. Would he ever escape this lifestyle?

"Reezy! Stop thinking about shit and fuck me!"

Well, it was worth a try.

He dropped onto the couch and positioned himself between her legs. He smirked as he looked down at her. He was ready for this. "Lexi, baby, I'm bout to be that—"

"Beat what up?"

Riley sighed heavily and buried his head into the crook of Lexi's neck. He finally faced his brother, who had the tiniest smirk on his face. "Ah, shit," he muttered under his breath.

"Okay, next time Huey," Jazmine yelled from down the hall. "I'm gonna need you to carry the heavy stuff up first, so I won't have to do it." She walked into the apartment to see Riley and a naked girl on her couch. In _her_ living room. "Really?"

Lexi sat up to see two other people staring the back at her half naked body. Jazmine clenched her teeth together and immediately covered Huey's eyes. "I think I should…"

"Go? Yeah, probably," Jazmine spat out.

Lexi hurriedly put on her shirt and grabbed her things before she headed out the front door. She turned around to face Jazmine and Huey. "Listen, I am _so_ sorry about every—"

"I'm sure you are," Jazmine commented as she slammed the door in the girl's face. "Seriously? I've seen her naked way more that I need to."

"Come on!" Riley huffed. "I don't ever cockblock to you Huey when y'all ready to fuck!" He picked up his shirt from the floor. "Why can't y'all at least warn a nigga before you come in and ruin the mood and shit?"

Jazmine snickered to herself before walking over to the kitchen with bags in hand. "Okay," Huey began. "Raise your hand if you pay rent, pay bills and/or contribute anything to this household." Both he and Jazmine shot their hands in the air. "Now, raise your hand if all you do is sit on your ass and play video games all day."

Riley only glared at his brother.

"So the people who pay the bills in this apartment are allowed to come and go as they please. If you don't like it, move out," Huey bluntly responded as he walked to his room. "And people sit on the couch! Have some damn respect!"

Riley tongued his cheek as he continued to prove and what Huey just told him. He fell in a kid who just got in trouble with his parents and they just finish yelling at him.

She sighed as she looked towards the bedroom door. "What Huey was trying to say is that… just be a little more considerate to the other people in his house," Jazmine sweetly explained. "Because I don't want to see half naked girls all the time."

This happen often. Huey would yell at him for some reason; Jazmine will try to be the mediator between them. The trio had been doing a very entire relationship, so obviously what would it change when they grew up? Well, now it felt like their parenting him, scolding a child who just broken their curfew.

He scoffed and walked towards his room. "Whatever, man," he muttered under his breath. He slammed the door behind him. As much is he hated living with his brother, again, he had nowhere else to go. He ain't got no job. He ain't got no money. The only reason his brother took him in was because Huey felt bad for him. And although beggars can't be choosers…

Damn, a nigga needed privacy sometimes.

He flopped onto the bed and pulled out his phone. He needed to go out tonight. He needed to get away from the house. He needed to get away from the tension between him and Huey. And he knew just the people to text.

_**Reezy:**__ we going out tonight or nah?_

Within seconds, he got a response.

_**Hiro:**__ I'm down._

_**Caesar:**__ Me too._

He smirked to himself. Tonight was going to be a good night.

* * *

Riley added the finishing touch to his outfit, and his fitted snapback, and looked in the mirror. Out of all the times he went out, this had to been the time where he looked the freshest. If he couldn't finish would Lexi tonight, he was the least gonna get another girl.

He grabbed his essentials before exiting his room. He made eye contact with Huey, who was on the couch with Jazmine, watching whatever they were watching. Typical.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he smartly responded. Riley could almost hear Huey rolling his eyes. He laughed. "Ya know y'all got really domestic. I mean, all y'all do is stay at home all the time and don't do nothing for no more. See? This is why a nigga don't want to settle down. I don't wanna do that boring shit all the time."

Huey scoffed. "Yeah, because going out every night is _really_ fulfilling. Don't worry though, one day you're going to be the oldest nigga in the club, wondering if it was all worth it to do the same thing over and over again."

"Maybe it is." Riley turned on his heel, opening the front door. "Don't wait up on me." He closed the door harshly, ignoring whatever so-called advice his brother was giving him. He wasn't the one who wasn't going to throw his twenties away. This was the only time he was going to be twenty-two in his life, and he didn't want to waste it on a girl. Not saying that Jazmine wasn't worth it, because Jazmine was an once-in-a-lifetime girl. But he couldn't see himself doing the same thing. Nah, he liked the life too much.

He stuck a Black between his teeth and as he jumped into Dorothy, he lit the end until a billow of smoke escaped through his nose. He drove with all the windows down, and his music blasting out the speakers. And even though he drove through the nice neighborhoods of Baltimore, he really didn't give a fuck that the white people were giving him dirty looks. He didn't have a care in the world.

He parked two blocks away from the club at an elementary school; it was the only place he can park for free and not get towed. He sat on the trunk and waited for the others to show up. Riley checked his phone to see it takes from Lexi. Like he expected, it was a picture of her chest. He smirked.

He had these bitches whipped.

"Yo, where Ceez at?" Hiro questioned when he parked next to Riley. Riley shrugged in response, still looking down at his phone. "What you looking at man? I wanna see!" Hiro attempted to snatch the phone out of Riley's hand.

Riley immediately snatched the phone right back. "Aye, didn't yo parents teach you not to take shit out of people's hands?" he snapped. "Damn, you see with your eyes, not your hands."

"Can you guys be civil for once? Please?" Caesar inquired as he stepped out of the taxi. He paid the cabbie, and then turned back to his friends. Riley and Hiro were close to laughing. "What?"

"Nigga you got a taxi?" Riley joked.

Caesar rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm not driving tonight, and I don't want to leave my car here. So the only other option is to get a taxi," he explained to the boys. "Watch. You gonna be pissed off when your car broken into."

"Caesar, we've been parking our cars here forever and nothing happened to them," Hiro reminded him as they all walked towards the club. "What makes you think this day gonna be different?"

"Shit don't jinx it Hiro," Riley huffed. "You know I ain't got no money to pay for Dorothy to get fixed."

Hiro and Caesar snickered. "Do you even got money for the club, my nigga?"

Riley glared at the boys. "Shut up. Y'all ain't funny."

The group walked up to the front of Club Paradise, ignoring the long line stretching down the block. Riley teased the patrons in the line; knowing the bouncer from high school had its perks. Already the club was bouncing. Everyone was having a good time and more importantly, there were girls everywhere. Riley was sure he was going home with one tonight.

"Damn it is live tonight!" Hiro exclaimed. He looked around the club until stopped on a girl that was giving him the eye. "Yo, I'll catch you dudes later," he told the boys. He walked up to the girl as she started to go away. "Yo, mamita! Where you going, baby?"

Riley laughed at the scene. "Man, Ceez… Our boy Hiro is—" he turned around to see that Caesar also left him. He sucked his teeth. Ain't this bout a bitch? It wasn't even three minutes they were in the club and already they're looking for bitches. You can blame him though; he was about to scope, too.

He sat down at the bar and signaled the bartender for one. It was a good thing the bartender went to school too; otherwise he would've had to pay for drinks. He looked over to his left and checked out the girl that was sitting next to him. Tight dress, 6 inch stiletto heels, twenty-eight inch stripper weave. Yes, his personal Thot Meter, patent pending, was in the red.

The bartender brought his drink and he took a sip of it. It was stronger than usual. "Wassup?" He finally said to the girl, pretending that he wasn't that much interested. "You here alone?"

The girl looked over at him and she smiled. "Nah, I'm with my bestie!" She pointed over to a girl who was in the middle of the dance floor, who was grinding on another guy. "Yaaaaas, bitch! Work it! You are a baddie!" Riley laughed himself. "What about you? Where yo niggas at?"

"They somewhere." He looked her up and down. As soon as he finished his drink, another one was in its place. "I don't want to talk about them, though. What about you? What's your name?"

She giggled as she took a sip of her drink. "Diamond."

"No, seriously."

"That is my name, silly!" Diamond giggled again. Riley blinked. His Thot Meter was going off the charts. She batted her fake eyelashes. "I bet your name is something sexy… like you."

Diamond already had a few drinks in her. Probably more than she was used to. Unfortunately for her, she was easy target for boys like Riley. He knew this is gonna be easy, almost _too_ easy. But still, he went on with the plan.

He flashed his infamous smile. "Trust me, baby. You'll know it soon enough." He didn't want her to know right away. He wanted her to sweat it out a little bit. Besides, he wasn't fully drunk enough to fuck her yet. A girl of this caliber, he needed two more, at least, to be in the right state of mind for her.

He needed two more drinks to forget about her.

The DJ mixed the current song into another one that Riley couldn't recognize, but by the way that the beat went, he could tell that it was one Diamond liked to dance to. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh… My… God."

"What?" Riley questioned, fearing the worst out of her.

"This…" Diamond started, standing up from her barstool. "Is my fucking _song_!" She grabbed Riley's hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. As soon as they were in the middle of the crowd of people, Diamond started to grind on him, pushing up against him to the beat of the song.

He loved the club. He loved the drinks. He loved the atmosphere. And most of all, he loved the girls. You never know what type was going to show up. Some days it could be the college girls; some days it's the working girls. You can see the hood girls one night and the next were the good ones. And trust, Riley has been with all of them.

The club was his safe haven. It had never let him down. Whenever he was sad, he went to the club. Whenever he was pissed off at his brother, he went to the club. Whenever he needed his dick sucked, he called Lexi first, then went to the club if she didn't answer. It was almost certain that he didn't leave by himself.

While the DJ changed the song, Diamond and Riley both headed back to the bar. He signaled for another drink for both of them as he watched the girl in front of him fumble around her purse. "I need… something," she giggled. She was slightly thrashed, Riley could tell. "Fuck it I don't remember!"

He downed the rest of his drink. She was ready, but he wasn't. He looked at the drink he ordered for her. He shrugged. She was already fucked up enough; she didn't need another. He finished off her margarita, and smiled at her.

"You wanna dance more?"

This time the song was slow. Diamond still had her rhythm, swaying her body to the beat into him. She put her hands in her hair and really got into the song, moving to a sensual beat only her and Riley knew. She turned around to face him, licking her lips.

"You should go home with me."

It doesn't take long for him to get with a girl. Usually, an hour. Tops. But Diamond was a good, desperate thirty minutes. He knew as soon as she saw him, she wanted to fuck. But he had to put the moves on her, make it _seem_ like she wasn't wanting this. There was a small part of him that was saying no, telling him to reject her.

But he really wanted some ass.

He ignored his inner voice and grabbed Diamond's hand. He shot a quick text to Hiro and Caesar, saying that he would catch up with them in the morning. There were things he had to do. As soon as they were outside the building, Riley hailed for a cab. He may have been fucked up, but he wasn't stupid. They both stumbled into the backseat when a taxi appeared in front of them.

"Take me… to…" Diamond wandered off, closing her eyes. Riley sighed and nudged her in her shoulder. "1721 Willow Bend Street," she finally mumbled out. She turned towards Riley. "I wanna…" She gave him a drunken smile.

"You wanna… what?" He questioned.

She bit her bottom lip and fell into his lap. She fumbled with his belt and jeans button for a minute before Riley realized what she was doing. "Aye girl hold up! Slow down!" As much as he wanted head, he wasn't gonna get it in the back of a taxi, especially with the cabbie glaring at him from the rearview mirror. "Damn you gonna get us kicked out!" he whispered harshly as he fixed his pants.

"I don't give a fuck," she whispered back. Diamond smiled as she exited the cab when it finally halted at her home, deliberately sashaying to the front door. Just so Riley could stare. _Goddamn_. He was lucky to have grabbed her first.

"Hey kid." Riley snapped back into reality to see the cabbie stared back at him. "The fare is $25.50." Riley sighed and paid the guy in exact change. When the cab driver was looking for a tip, Riley scoffed and closed the door on him. If that nigga thought he was getting some more money after what he had to pay, he could forget it. The nigga was a rip off.

"Damn Diamond, this yo house?" he questioned as he walked up to the front door. He'd never been on this side of town before, and while the neighborhood didn't look too great, at least she had her own house.

She stumbled into the living room. "Nah, it's my mama's," she responded. She pointed him towards the couch. "Wait right here. I gotta go get something." Before Riley could protest, she already made her way up the stairs.

Riley sighed heavily. He knew it. He knew he shouldn't have went home with this hoodrat. He should have taken his chances with another girl. But _no_. Her ass had him in a trance. He groaned to himself. How can he make the same dumb decision every time? What is he so bad at picking out good girls?

"I'm ready."

Maybe he was being punished. Maybe God is punishing him, because at one point in his life he had the perfect girl, and he threw it away. He has no one to blame but himself. Now he's trying to find the "perfect girl" in bars, clubs, and parties. He's trying to fill the void that she left with the random girls and partying.

It wasn't working.

As much as he hated to admit it, he missed her. He was constantly wondering what she was doing, how she was feeling, if some other nigga was treating her right. Every time when he had to have at least three drinks in his system before he could go home with a girl, it's because of her. He wants to pretend that the girl in front of them was her. Of course, no one could replace her, but he could fake it for a couple hours.

Diamond was Lexi. Diamond was Jocelyn. Diamond was every other girl he's ever been with since her. Huey was right, as usual. Eventually everyone's going to move on with their life, except him. He was going to be doing the same thing, picking up the same girls who are probably going to be twenty years younger than him. Eventually he's going to do this lifestyle because he doesn't know any better.

It's probably four in the morning by now. Diamond was asleep way earlier, around the time that they finished. He didn't want a Diamond. He didn't want a Lexi. He didn't want a girl that was just like thousands of other girls. He wanted a one-of-a-kind, exceptional, wonderful, ride or die girl.

He wanted Cindy.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** Whoo! A new chappie! I'm trying to get better with this updating thing. Uhm... idk what to tell you guys. For once, I don't have an excuse to give you! Yay! But, on_ _Pursuit__ of__ Happiness, I asked if anyone wanted me to start like an for me to answer your questions or anything like that, and no one replied. :/ So I am gonna give this idea another try, just because, but instead of it being where you respond in the review, I'm gonna put a poll up that will probably stay up until I update again. So there's that._

_That's pretty much it. Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to **Read&Review!**_

* * *

Chapter Two

"You gotta go!"

Riley was awaken with shakes. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in the bed. He forgot where he was for a minute. That is, until he saw Diamond shuffle out of bed to throw his clothes in front of him. He blinked a few times. "Wait. What?" he groggily questioned.

"My mama home."

That was all he needed to hear. He sobered up quick, shooting out of the bed and grabbing his clothes. He got dressed as quick as he could, not even making sure if they were the correct way. Diamond grabbed his arm and shoved him in the closet. He shot her a look before she closed the door on him.

This was some ole bullshit.

He said he was done with this high school shit. He didn't want to be the dude sneaking in and out of girl's rooms, trying to avoid whoever the girl was keeping a secret from. Moms, dads, boyfriends… this wasn't new for him. This wasn't the first time he hid in a closet, but he sure fucking hoped this was the last time.

"Hi, Mama!" Diamond brightly greeted when the door opened. Fake sweet ass. "How was work? Did you save some lives today?" She seemed far away from the door, which indicated she was sitting on the bed. "I've just been chillin' here all night, nothing too big."

Riley had to admit, the girl could act. He couldn't be as calm if the roles were reversed. There was only one answer on how she got so good at this: he wasn't the first dude in this closet. Practice is one way to be perfect.

He listened to the conversation between Diamond and her mother, hoping that he could get the hell up out of the cramped closet before he passes out. A few more minutes of talking, giggling, and _more talking_, Riley was sure Diamond forgot about him. Why the hell is she still talking?

He felt a vibration in his pocket.

_Fuck, please God, don't let ringer don't be on._

Unfortunately, it didn't matter because he heard silence on the other side of the door. His eyes widened and he tightened up his shoelaces. He was going to have to make a quick exit.

"Who's that in the closet?"

Before Diamond could respond, Riley opened the closet door and immediately ran for the door. He avoided Diamond's mother, who reached out to grab him, and headed towards the front of the house. He didn't dare to stop until he was safely two blocks away from where he started.

Damn, he hadn't run like that since senior year. He laughed. This shit ever got old.

He started walking in the direction he assumed the club and his car were, and his phone vibrated again. He answered it. "Yeah?"

"_Yo! Where you at, man? Me and Hiro been here for twenty minutes waiting for your ass!_" Riley rolled his eyes. In reality, they've probably only been at the diner for about five minutes. Them niggas are just impatient as hell. "_Damn, we mad hungry!_"

"Caesar! I'll get there when I get there! And y'all bet not eat without me!" Riley snapped back, ending the call immediately. He _was _going to get there eventually, but first…

He had to find out where the hell he was.

* * *

Thirty minutes and a Google Maps search later, he finally found his car sitting in the same spot as it was last night. He shuffled into the driver's seat and roared the car to life. He made his way down the familiar route to his favorite diner. It was like a ritual between Caesar, Hiro, and him. After every club night, after they dipped out on whoever they went home with, after everything, they could join up in the morning and eat pancakes.

He shuffled out of his car onto the sidewalk, walking up to the front door of the diner. He smiled at Caesar and Hiro, who sat outside waiting on him. "Didn't I tell you imma show up?"

"Yeah, after forty-five minutes…" Hiro muttered under his breath as he followed Riley.

"But all that matters is that I showed up." Riley sat down in regular seat around the table. "Y'all woulda been hella mad if I didn't make it."

Caesar shrugged. "We just would've ate without you."

"I made this tradition!" Riley reminded. "You can't do a tradition that I made up without me! Nigga that's blasphemous."

"Whatever, man. What were you doing anyways? You know what time we eat."

Riley sighed and shook his head. "I'm never fucking regular hoes again." He was greeted with sounds of hesitation and uncertainty from Caesar and Hiro. "No, I'm deadass! This was the fucking last straw. She put me in the closet while her moms came home. I had to bust up out of there."

"So what?" Caesar shrugged as he scanned the menu. "What makes this time different from the last time you got stuck in a closet?"

"Or different from the last time you got caught by someone's parent?" Hiro added.

Riley tongued the inside of his cheek. He knew they were right; he didn't want to admit though. Caesar and Hiro don't ever have the same problems. It's always him with the crazy stories. It's always him that ends up with the crazy bitches. Why?

"Dude if you wanna try and stop, you go ahead and try. But you have a thing for thotties."

Hiro snickered. "Yeah, man. You have dated a nice, normal girl since…"

The table went silent.

She was off limits.

Caesar interrupted the awkwardness. "Anyways, you keep saying you don't wanna fuck hoes, but where's the only place you look for girls? Clubs, bars, sketchy places."

"Man, you fucking sound like Huey's bitchass right about now."

Caesar shrugged. "Maybe it's because we're both right. And you know it."

Riley scoffed. "Man I'm sick of talking about me. Why don't one of y'all talk about how good you are at picking out girls or whatever?"

"I'm not saying I get the greatest girls…" Caesar bragged. "But hey, I am the best looking out of all of us."

"No homo," Riley and Hiro commented at the same time.

Caesar shrugged as the waitress came to take their orders.

"What do you guys want?"

No one ever ordered anything different than usual, even though they individually looked at the menu for at least three minutes.

Hiro studied the menu. "I'll get the stuffed omelet, with a side of hash browns."

"Man, gimme the Big Breakfast Plate with everything on it. Scrambled eggs. With cheese," Riley commented. "And can I get another coffee?"

The waitress nodded and continued to scribble on her pad. She smiled at Caesar. "And for you? What do you want?"

"Your number."

She blushed and laughed. "No, seriously."

"I am serious." He flashed a smirk. He pointed towards Riley. "But I'll take what he's having, except with over easy eggs."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'll get this in for you."

After the waitress left, Hiro sucked his teeth. "Why you gotta flirt with every girl we see?"

Caesar was still watching the waitress. "So this girl," Caesar continued, ignoring Hiro. "She was mad fine. Like, face like Rihanna, body like Beyoncé, ass like Nicki. And she was playing hard to get, so naturally I played along with her. Soon enough, that Brooklyn charm got her and we ended up leaving."

"Here he go with that Brooklyn charm bullshit," Hiro scoffed.

"Hey! The Brooklyn charm is a real thing. Just because you two don't have it, doesn't make it bullshit," responded Caesar. "This particular flirting device has been passed down from generations to generations of my fellow Brooklyn men."

Riley booed him while Hiro laughed.

"Fuck ya both."

"I don't know. Caesar may have his so-called 'Brooklyn charm' and Riley probably has a scent for the drunk and desperate," Hiro started. He looked at his friends and shrugged. "But I really just have one thing. Spitting game."

Riley and Caesar looked at each other. "This I gotta hear," Caesar acknowledged.

"How is your spitting game bullshit different from Ceez's spitting game bullshit?" Riley inquired.

"Because I'm an expert. The girl I met last night, she was a sweet college girl. She didn't do things like what we did."

"Fuck outta here!" Caesar laughed. He leaned back into his seat. "This is why no one takes you seriously, Hiro. You're always saying things that don't make sense."

The food finally arrived at the table and none of the boys hesitated in starting their feast. Another part of their tradition was not to not talk while food was in front of them. Mostly this was an unwritten rule; one that no one had to say, but each of them respected it.

"You didn't talk about your girl Riley," Caesar spoke up when his plate was empty. "You're the only one."

Riley shrugged. "I picked a hoodrat and I promise you, I'm not doing that again," he reiterated.

"You say that…" Caesar reminded.

Hiro patted him on the back. "If Riley doesn't want to fuck hoes anymore, we should respect that and support him the whole way."

Riley nodded. "Yeah. Thanks man."

"You're welcome," Hiro responded. "I got a twenty that said he not gonna make it a month, though."

"I got two weeks."

Riley flipped them both off. "Fuck y'all."

The waitress came back with the receipts of everyone's meal. "Have a great day, guys!" she warmly said as she walked away.

Caesar looked down at his receipt and smirked. He then proceeded to show the other boys. "What did I tell you guys? That fucking Brooklyn charm." At the bottom of the flimsy paper was a scribbled sentence… along with a number.

"Shit. Maybe he wasn't bullshitting," Hiro offered. Riley still continued to roll his eyes. "He got her number, though."

Riley looked down at his phone to see a text from Lexi. He raised an eyebrow; he doesn't usually get texts from her while the sun was still in the sky.

_**Lexi (Fat Ass): **__Come over to the apartment._

"Whatever man, that don't mean shit," he replied as he walked towards his car. He chunked the deuces to both of them as he sped off. He was going to go meet Lexi, just in case, you know, he got a little quickie in the middle of the afternoon.

* * *

He sat on the trunk of the car for what seemed like hours, but in reality, he had only been there for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes longer than he originally planned to be there. He had been waiting on Lexi to show up, but with no luck. Where the hell was she? And why did she invite him when she wasn't here yet?

Lexi was on some bullshit.

He went back to the driver's side of Dorothy to grab the pack of cigarillos sitting in the armrest. He picked out one and went back to sitting on the trunk. He took a long draw from the Black, letting the smoke fill his lungs before exhaling. If she didn't show up by the time he finished smoking, he was go on about his day and get some ass from another day. Despite what everyone he knew wanted to say, he actually had shit to do.

A car pulled into the parking spot next to him. He looked out of the corner his eye before shaking his head, taking another inhale from his cigarette. "Look who decides to show up. What if had something to do at this time?"

"Then you wouldn't have come," Lexi smoothly responded as she got out the car. He watched her walk over to his side. "So… wassup?"

"Wassup? You invited me over here!"

She scoffed and shook her head. "Reezy, you know what this is about."

He opened his mouth, then almost immediately closed it again. He walked straight into a trap. "No I don't?"

"I sent you a picture last night and you didn't even give me a goddamn response!" she snapped at him. Whoa. She went zero to a hundred real quick. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

He put his hands up. "What the fuck was I supposed to say? 'Thanks for your titties?'"

Lexi rolled her eyes. "It was an invitation, you dickhead," she explained. "It was a straight invitation for you to come over and fuck me so we can finish what we started, and you didn't even respond. Fucker."

He blinked. This is why he didn't need to deal with crazy bitches anymore. They may look nice and have really great features, but they were crazy as all hell. He scratched his head. "And how was I supposed to decipher that one, Lexi?"

No answer.

"You fucking crazy, Lexi. First you tell me yo apartment ain't clean and that you wanna come over to my house. Then when you gonna invite me over, without telling me, in the course of three hours? And then you get mad when I don't get your subliminal fucking message? Fuck outta here."

"Were you out fucking someone else?" she smartly questioned.

No answer.

"Yeah," she smirked. "Yeah nigga, you ain't shit." She flipped her hair and walked towards the stairs leading up to her apartment. She turned back around. "Was she even good? Was she better than—" She motioned to her own body. "All of this? Nah."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting old quick. "Lexi, we ain't even dating, alright? You can't get mad when I mess with other hoes! Especially when I know you fuck other niggas all the damn time! Stop being a hypocrite!"

"Whatever nigga." She finished her walk up the stairs and unlocked her front door. She looked down at Riley. "So are you coming or what?"

He could this right now. He could end the toxicity that was his and Lexi's relationship, or fucking, or whatever they called what they did. He chooses to ignore her craziness and continue to fuck with her… but he could be free with just a simple "no." One word, two little letters and he could be finished with her forever.

"Yeah, imma be up there."

* * *

He yawned before entering the house. He needed to sleep.

Riley unlocked the front door and nodded towards his brother before heading to his room. He stopped in his tracks and walked back into the living room, staring at Huey on the couch. Huey looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. This went on for a minute.

"…Yes?" his brother finally inquired, breaking the almost awkward silence.

"You not gonna say nothing?" he retaliated.

Huey was confused for a second. "…About?"

"You know, you always got something smart to say when I come back home in the morning. Like… 'Did you have fun with your destructive lifestyle?' or something like that," Riley explained with a shrug. "You always say some shit like that."

"Do you want me to?" Huey confusedly asked. Riley shrugged again. "I mean, what does it accomplish? It's not like you're going to actually listen to me. Last night, after you left, I realized that you're going to do whatever Riley wants to do and it doesn't actually matter what anybody says. I can only tell you so much before you have to figure things for yourself."

He wasn't expecting that one.

"Whatever, nigga," he shrugged off. "When is Jaz coming back with some food?" he complained loudly, rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungrier than a motherfucker."

"Learn how to fend for yourself," Huey reminded him, his focus going back to the papers in front of him.

Riley rolled his eyes. "Why? When I got Jazzy to cook for me?"

Huey sighed and down his papers. "You know, there's so many things wrong with that sentence that I'm not going to even dignify it with a response. He picked up his papers once again. "Just know that eventually that's not going to happen."

"Whatever nigga."

Why did it feel like everyone was against him today? First it was Caesar, talking about he's never going to change his lifestyle. Then it was Lexi's crazy ass, telling him he ain't shit. Now his brother. Why does have to get his life together at this very moment? Why can't he enjoy his twenties as long as he can?

Niggas be tripping these days. He couldn't do shit without someone getting on his case.

He walked back into the living room. "I'm gonna get my shit together," he announced.

Huey glanced over in his direction. "Okay."

"I'm deadass."

"I know you are."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"I do."

"You don't."

Huey squeezed his fists before releasing them again. He was getting frustrated real quickly, Riley could tell. "Why do you want my feedback so bad? Riley, you're not five. You don't need my positive reinforcement every second. When you do get everything together, I'll give you your props. Until then, all I can say is that I believe you."

Riley stared at his brother. See? He couldn't do anything right.

The door unlocked and Jazmine definitely walked into an intense situation. She stood by the door and alternated between looking at Riley and Huey. "Did something just happen?" she inquired.

"No," both brothers responded, finally breaking eye contact.

She closed the door and walked over to the kitchen. "Okay… I went and picked up dinner from the pizza place close to the house. I even Huey that weird vegan/vegetarian pizza that he likes."

Riley went straight for the food, ignoring whatever Jazmine had to say after that. He paid attention to only the three slices of the Meat Lovers in front of him. He nearly stuffed half of the slice in his mouth. Damn, Jazmine was a lifesaver.

"Do we know anyone who lives in Clarksville?" Jazmine questioned.

Riley looked over to see Jazmine glancing down at a small envelope. Clarksville was one of the richest parts of Baltimore. For them to know anyone over there was a serious surprise. Riley shook his head, followed by Huey. She shrugged and opened the envelope anyways.

"It's addressed to… Jazmine Freeman."

This piqued everyone's interests. Huey and Jazmine weren't married, so why would they put that on a letter? Riley looked from the bar at Jazmine, studying her reactions.

"Dear Mrs. Freeman…" she trailed off as she continued to read the letter. At one point, her eyes widened and her hand went over her mouth. "Oh my God."

"What?" Riley inquired. This girl was getting random letters from niggas? Should he be concerned for his safety?

"Who is it from?" Huey sternly followed up.

"It's from… Cindy." Riley's breath got caught in his throat. He wasn't expecting the letter to be from her. He didn't see that one coming. "And... she's getting married."

Take it back. He _definitely _didn't see that one coming.

Huey and Jazmine's eyes focused on him. He didn't know what to say. To be honest, he didn't know if could say it, even if he knew. He blinked a couple of time. Focus. Focus. He cleared his throat and shrugged. "Congratulations."

Jazmine continued to read the letter, her eyes scanning quickly but carefully through the sentences. Riley tried to divert back to his pizza, but now everything felt… wrong. She's getting married? Her? Married? He didn't feel like eating anymore; he lost his appetite. He stared down at his plate as if it would give him magical answers.

"She's having an engagement party this Saturday and she wants everyone to come. Me, you, Riley, Caesar, and Hiro… we have to go! We have to go and see her!" Jazmine got giddy. "I haven't seen her in… forever!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Huey remarked, glancing over at Riley. He motioned his head over to Riley's direction. Jazmine closed her mouth and pouted. Huey responded with a glare.

"Nah, we can go," riley answered. He shrugged again. "It's whatever because… I'm over her." We wondered if they were going to buy it. "All that shit's in the past. I'm proud of her and whatever. We should go. Support C-Murph."

And just like that, he was going to the engagement party of his ex-girlfriend.

* * *

Now that Saturday was actually here, he didn't know if he could actually do it.

He sat in his bedroom, looking in the mirror on the other side. He didn't know if he could actually do it. He wasn't hating or nothing; he wished the nothing but the best for her. But… he didn't know if he could actually do it.

Cindy and him were a thing, once upon a time. They were _the _thing. The fact that their friendship ended on such bad terms… he shook his head at the memory. Even though she wanted him to be there, he knew that it was going to be awkward as hell if he showed up.

Someone pounded on his door. "Riley! Come on, we're ready to go!"

He rolled his eyes. Jazmine's been on everyone's ass since she got the letter. She sent out a text saying that if you weren't at the apartment by eight o'clock on the dot, you were going to get left. He sighed. He didn't know if he could actually do it.

"Riley! You have ten seconds before we leave!"

He didn't care.

"Jazmine, if he wants to stay in there all day…"

He did.

"He said he was over her!"

He wasn't.

"And you believed him?"

That stung. At least at the moment, he believed that he could make it through the engagement party. He looked down at his clothes. He _did _already get ready and if the night turned sour, he could easily drink his feelings away. Like always. Besides, if Cindy really wanted him there, like she said, the least he could do is show up.

He opened the door. All eyes were on him.

"Huh. I guess he is coming," Caesar acknowledged. He slid Hiro a ten dollar bill.

"Oh, thank God you're ready," Jazmine sighed. She grabbed her purse and ushered Riley, Huey, Hiro, and Caesar out of the apartment. "Come on, we're already late!"

They all piled into Huey's sedan as the car's engine roared to life. "Why we all gotta ride together?" Hiro complained. "And why I'm in the middle?"

"Because somebody needs to be the designated driver tonight and I wouldn't bet on any of you guys," Huey replied when he got onto the street. "This is for your safety."

"And plus, you a bitch, so you sit in the bitch seat," Riley smirked. Hiro huffed under his breath. "When you not a bitch, you can upgrade."

He looked out the window of the car. He can tell they were going to the rich part of Baltimore. The buildings of downtown gradually switched to Starbucks and Whole Foods. He knew Woodcrest was white, but Clarksville took the cake. The apartments here probably cost more than his life. Clarksville was about halfway between Woodcrest and Baltimore so it wasn't like he was unfamiliar with the area, it just seemed… different.

"Okay, let's establish some rules," Jazmine announced from the passenger seat, when she deemed her makeup was worthy. "No embarrassing yourselves. We're around white people so act your best. No embarrassing me. Seriously, you will get it if you do. No drinking excessively. Riley."

"Why you gotta call me out?"

She waved her hand. "You know your limit, so please don't go over it. Caesar, no yo mama jokes." Caesar immediately groaned. "Hiro, no hitting on any of the girls here."

"No promises."

She turned to the driver's seat. "Huey…"

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"No being controversial." He took a quick glance at her. "If you can't do that, then don't engage in conversations where people ask for your opinions on anything."

"And if I don't?"

She shifted her jaw. "If you don't… everything will be closed," she answered, folding her arms across her chest. He lowered his eyes at her, earning a smirk from Jazmine. "Got it?"

"Fine," he muttered. There were snickers coming from the back seats, followed by whipping sounds. "Shut the hell up!"

He pulled into the weaving driveway of the Clarksville Country Club, driving all the way to the front. A valet was waiting at a booth. He walked over to the driver's side of the door and opened it.

"The families of Ms. McPhearson and Mr. Brady are offering complementary valet for the night, sir." Huey was reluctant to get out of the car. "Please sir, I insist that we park your car."

Jazmine and everyone else were already out, waiting for the last person to get out. "Huey, get out the damn car," she smiled with venom. Huey rolled his eyes and exited the car, taking the ticket from the valet. He walked next to Jazmine. "Your best behavior."

"I got it," he snapped back.

Riley looked at the door of the country club. He gulped and walked behind everyone else. His breathing got deep. He was actually scared of what to expect. Was she still the same? Did she change? He sighed and walked through the doors.

It was either now or never.


End file.
